


Window Watchers

by FanaticShipper07, Mentally_Unstable



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Imprisonment, Jack being Jack, Jack being risky, M/M, Minor Crutchie/Jack Kelly, Mutual Pining, Pining, The Refuge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanaticShipper07/pseuds/FanaticShipper07, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mentally_Unstable/pseuds/Mentally_Unstable
Summary: Crutchie is in the Refuge and Jack comes to visit his window late at night.
Relationships: Crutchie & Jack Kelly, Crutchie/Jack Kelly
Kudos: 70





	Window Watchers

Crutchie had heard his fair share about the Refuge, from both the boys and Jack alike. Never once had he heard something  _ good  _ about it; everyone always having been terrified of being brought or taken back to the place that felt like prison. He managed to stay out of the Refuge for longer than anyone ever  _ thought  _ he would and he could only thank Jack for that. He knew that he would have been long gone if he had never met his best friend, his leg too painful and useless for him to ever live on his own again. 

He wasn’t suited for this place. The more able-bodied kids  _ almost  _ got along just fine, but Crutchie was nowhere near where they were. He couldn’t  _ walk  _ or  _ run  _ or even  _ stand.  _ His crutch was considered a weapon in this place, too; the  _ one  _ item that could help him do what these adults needed him to. If the bruises and scrapes weren’t enough of an indication that he wasn’t doing well, the pains in his chest were all the more telling. He knew he must have cracked a few of his ribs from the rough kicks Snyder had given him when he was taken  _ away... _

Then again, he had no right to complain about any of this. Jack had been here more times than he could  _ count  _ and the exact same could be said about the other boys he knew. He was  _ lucky  _ that this was his first time. He… was  _ lucky  _ to have a best friend like Jack who constantly tried to protect a useless crip like him. The boy deserved to go on with his dreams after all of this. Jack needed a fresh start - a clean  _ slate.  _ How could he have that when he had a burden like  _ Charlie  _ weighing him down?

He was interrupted by soft knocking upon the window, the blond turning toward it to spot the man of the hour, Jack Kelly. Mumbling a small apology to his bedmate, he made a move to crawl  _ over  _ the stranger, his leg cramping up by the time he was halfway over. Crutchie, both luckily and  _ un _ luckily, got shoved somewhat harshly toward the window by the boy in his bed, mumbling a small thank you before his hand wrapped around one of the bars along the window, greeting with his usual, yet almost  _ forced,  _ smile,  _ “Heya,  _ Jackie, how’s you doin’?”

“Heya, Crutchie,” the other greeted back, “Been betta. How’s about  _ you?” _

Charlie’s eyes flickered back into the room, “I ain’t doin’  _ too  _ bad in ‘ere. No  _ worries,”  _ he sat up a few inches more, careful as to not touch the sleeping boy beside him, “How’s that strike goin’? Youse get Brooklyn yet…?”

Jack looked past the blond into the room for a moment, “That’s good, then.” He nodded a few times, thinking over the question, “Next time we’s get in a scrape, they’s said they’d be there.”

“That’s  _ good!  _ Youse gots all of New York with ‘em helpin’ ya,” he offered another smile, not speaking for a few moments before his facial expression dropped slightly, finally realizing the situation. “Youse gonna get caught if you stay ‘ere, Jack. You should  _ goes.” _

The other frowned, shaking his head quickly, “I ain’t goin’ nowhere, Crutchie. Youse don’t gotta worry ‘bout me neither.”

He readjusted his hold on the bar, face only growing more concerned, “I’ve  _ gotta  _ worry. Youse know what Snyder would do if he gotcha  _ again?  _ I don’t knows if you’d be able to  _ escape  _ again…”

Jack sighed, backing up the conversation, “We don’t got all of New York.”

His eyebrows knitted together lightly, “Whatcha mean, Jack…? Everyone was waitin’ on Brooklyn to join us.”

The brunet glanced away, pausing a moment before replying, “We don’t got  _ you.” _

“You don’t needs me…” Charlie said almost too softly, shaking his head, “I wouldn’t’a been able to help you guys. A crip’s not whatcha needs for a strike, yeah? I ain’t no brains or brawn. It’s safer for me in dis place.”

“You got more brains than I do,” Jack started, leaning closer to the window’s bars, “And you’d be plenty’a help.”

“What would I be able to  _ do,  _ Jackie? Youse wouldn’t let me fight or nothin’ if it came down to it, and you gots Davey as your brains…”

“I don’t wants nothin’ to happen to you,” the other responded, “Here ain’t no  _ betta  _ than out there. We… I need you.”

“I need  _ youse  _ more than youse need  _ me,”  _ the blond whispered lowly, hand slipping down the metal pole.

Jack moved his hand to rest next to the other’s against the metal, his own voice quiet as he asked, “How’s about we call it even?”

He huffed out a soft, unbelieving laugh, shaking his head once more, “What the hell do youse needs me for?”

“Aw Crutchie,” Jack sighed, “What the hell  _ don’t _ I needs you for?”

“Goin’ down the  _ stairs?”  _ he offered jokingly, leaning his forehead against the bar, “Youse got lots of other  _ friends  _ and a good  _ career,  _ if ya’ could even call our job that. You don’t needs  _ me  _ for that. If you gots in a  _ fight,  _ you… you wouldn’t need me to  _ help you,”  _ the blond sighed, looking back up again, “If… If I left you outs on the  _ streets  _ and never came  _ back,  _ you wouldn’t  _ die,  _ whereas  _ I…” _

“None’a that matters. Least, not to me,” Jack answered, pressing his own forehead against the bar to match.

_ “Should  _ matta. I make youse life a lot harder for just caring ‘bout me  _ too.” _

The brunet gave a slight smile, “Couldn’t stop even if I tried to.”

Charlie nudged the other’s shoulder lightly with his other hand, “Youse  _ could  _ try, you’re just too  _ stubborn  _ to.”

“Maybe,” Jack shrugged, “But I don’t wanna anyway.”

“I don’t see whys ya’  _ wouldn’t,”  _ he said, resting his unoccupied hand on his bad leg, rubbing it lightly, “Could’a gone all the way to youse dream city if ya’ weren’t spendin’ so much time worrying about  _ me.  _ You’d haves the  _ money.” _

“Money ain’t got nothin’ on  _ you.” _

“It could give ya’ a betta  _ life,  _ that’s for  _ sure.” _

Jack sighed, “Least it ain’t so bad here with you.”

“We won’t be spendin’ much time together ‘cause I’m locked  _ up  _ now, Jackie,” Crutchie reminded, hand briefly twitching over toward the other’s hand before he dismissed the action. “If you ever gets the chance to go to Santa Fe, you gotta take it, alright? Youse be  _ great  _ there.”

A head shake, “I ain’t goin’ without you. Youse gettin’ out of here.”

“I dunno how I  _ would.  _ I can’t  _ escape  _ like ya, and if they’re lettin’ kids go, it’ll be the ones who can probably  _ survive  _ on their own. I ain’t ever leavin’.”

“I ain’t just gonna  _ leave _ you here,” the brunet argued, leaning back from the bars.

“There ain’t much for you to do to  _ stop  _ this, Jack,” Charlie stated as if it were obvious, glancing past the taller to make sure nobody was coming, “Youse gotta leave me here, ‘kay? You can’t get  _ caught  _ right now, you gotta look after the guys durin’ the strike, remember?”

Jack frowned, shifting a little closer, “And after that?”

“We’ll…  _ talk,”  _ he stated slowly, head turning once he started to hear loud shouting coming from an area in the building with a small sigh, “I don’t want cha’ gettin’  _ caught  _ for me, y’know?”

The escapee placed his hand on top of the blond’s, “I’ll be comin’ back for ya, Charlie.”

“I ain’t gonna come with ya’ if you put yourself at risk of gettin’  _ caught,”  _ Crutchie warned lightly, flipping his hand around to give the other’s hand a small squeeze.

Jack tightened his grip for a moment, “You’d really says  _ no  _ if I showed up here? After all of this?”

“If it stops youse from getting all  _ risky  _ on me,  _ yes.” _

The brunet tilted his head to the side, “What if I wanna be the knight ‘n shinin’ armor?”

“You already  _ are, stupid,”  _ the shorter replied softly, no bite whatsoever in his words nor the supposed nickname, nudging Jack once again, “Youse already saved me  _ more  _ than enough times.”

Jack smiled, “I’d do it anytime.” He slowly pulled his hand back, expression flattening, “I oughta get outta here…”

The blond nodded quickly, head looking back at the door once he started to hear loud footsteps approaching, “Don’t gets  _ caught,  _ ‘kay? And don’t be  _ risky.” _

“Risky? Me? Never.”

As soon as the taller boy took off running, Charlie felt a small sigh escape from his lungs. He knew that no matter what he said, Jack would still come back and try to break him out of this place. And he  _ knew  _ that he wouldn’t be able to say  _ no  _ to it. All he could hope for was that the brunet wouldn’t be  _ too  _ risky.

Though, Jack Kelley was never known as a boy who played it  _ safe, huh? _


End file.
